William j



Patented Aug. 2, I898.

w. .1. PUGH. OPERATING SIGNAL CURTAINS 0N LOGOMOTIVE HEADLIGHTS.

(Application filed Dec. 10, 1897.);

(No Model.)

WM m Witneom In]. Gum/aim UNITED STATES PATENT FFICE.

\VILLIAM J. PUGIT, OF CHICAGO, ILTiINOl J, ASSIGNOR OF T\VO-T IIIRDS 'lO FRANCIS XAVIER BUSCII AND ARTHUR CLAUSS, OF SAME PLACE.

OPERATING SIGNAL-CURTAINS QN LOCOMOTIVBHEADLIGHIS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 608,559, dated August 2, 1898. Application filed December 10,1897. Serial No. 661,424. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.- 7

Be it known that I, WILLIAM J. PUGH, of Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new'and useful Improvements in Means for Operating Signal-Curtains 011 Locomotive-Headlights; and I hereby declare that the following is a f all, clear, and exactdescription thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, which form part of this specification.

This invention is an improved automatic curtain-operating means especially designed for controlling the signal-curtains on locomotive-headlights; and to this end its object is to provide a semipnenmatic device by which the curtain can be controlled by the engineer by simply operating a three-way valve in the cab.

The invention consists in the novel construction and combination of parts hereinafter described and claimed, and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a vertical section through a locomotive-headlight containing the signalcurtain-operating mechanism, showing the curtain raised in full lines and lowered in dotted lines. Fig. 2 is a detail front View thereof. Fig. 3 is a detail view of the springroller detached.

Referring to the drawings, A designates the casing of a locomotive-headlight, having the usual conical reflector 13 and front glass 0. Above reflectorB is arrangeda signal-curtain D, which is attached to aspring-actuated roller E, which is supported in suitable bearings, as usual. Formed on or secured to one end of roller E is a spool e, which is of about half the diameter of the roller, and to this spool is fastened one end of a cord F, the other end of which is fastened to the front of the casing of the headlight below glass C,

as shown. -As the spool is'of less diameter.

than the roller, a less amount of cord will be required to rotate the roller a given number of times, and consequently less movement of the cord will be necessary to actuate the roller.

Below the reflector B, preferably within the casing, is a cylinder G, of any suitable construction, provided with a stalling-box on one end and having a piston l[ within it, attached to a piston-rod h, which extends through the stufling-box g and has a preferably grooved roller 7L on its front end, around which the cord F passes. An idler-roller I is suitably supported slightly above and in rear of roller h and in rear of cord F, as shown.

Air may be admitted into the cylinder G through a pipe J, which opens thereinto between the stuffing-box g and piston ll, so that when air is admitted the piston will be forced backward. This pipe J connects with a pipe which may extend back to the engineers cab and connects with one port of an ordinary three-way valve K, another port of which is connected by a pipe 7.: to a suitable compressed-air supply, and the third port communicates with the escape-pipe 7;.

The roller E is preferably a spring-roller or ordinary construction, so that it will automatically wind up curtain D,-and this spring should'be stout enough to also pull for'ward piston II by cord F when the air is permitted to escape from the cylinder.

position shown in full lines, Fig. 1. Then piston II is moved rearward by the admission of air into cylinder G, it forms aloop in the cord F, which makes it travel twice as fast and as far as the piston II,and the spool being only half the diameter of the curtainroller the cord only has to travel half as far as the curtain in order to completely lower the latter and obscure the light.

' When the three-way valve is turned so as to permit the air to escape from cylinder G, the spring-roller E winds up both the curtain and cord F, which latter draws the plunger II back to the position shown in Fig. l. The pipe J can enter the cylinder at the bottom or side, and the cylinder can be easily arranged so as who in any direction desired in the headlight. I'consider it preferable to have it lie in the position shown in Fig. 1.

Having thus'describcd my invention, what I'thcrefore claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent thereon, is-

.l. In a curtain-operating headlight for locomotives, the combination of the headlight, a spring-roller mounted therein, and a cur- W'hen the curtain is raised, the parts are inv tain attached to said roller, a cord having one end attached to and wrapped around said roller and the other end attached to a fixed point, with a cylinder, piston and piston-rod, and a roller on said rod, around which the cord is looped so that when the piston-rod is moved inward, the cord is unwrapped and caused to rotate the spring-rollerso as to tension the spring and unwind the curtain, and means for admitting an actuating fluid into and releasing it from said cylinder, said means controllable from the" cab substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

2. In a curtain-operatin g headlight for 10- comotives, the combination of the headlight, a spring-controlled roller mounted therein and acurtainattached to said roller; the cord havingone end attached to and wrapped u pon a reduced portion of said roller and the other end attached toa fixed point; with acylinder, piston and piston-rod, and aroller connected to and actuated by said rod adapted to loop said. cord'and therebylcause the latter to rotate the spring-roller so as to tension the spring and unwind the curtain, and means for admitting air into and releasing it from said cylinder, whereby the curtainis positively unwound by the action of the piston and wound up by the spring which also returns the piston, and roller to normal position through the medium of the eord,-substantion on one end, a cord secured at one end to and wrapped upon said spool and at the other end to a fixed point, an idler-roller above said fixed point, and a curtain attached to said roller; Witha cylinder in rear of said idlerroller, the piston and piston-rod, and a roller 'on the end of said piston-rod adapted to loop the cord between the fixed point and said idler-roller when the piston is moved in one direction by compressed air, and means for admitting compressed air to, or permitting it to escape from the cylinder whereby the curtain is-positively unwound by the movement of the piston in one direction, and is rolled up by the action of the spring which returns the piston to, its normal position through the medium of the cord, all substantially as and for the purpose described.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I afiix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

JILL-IA J. PUGTI.

In presence of- F. H. Wear, 0. DE VREY. 

